Flying Newtown families to Washington on Air Force One (2 letters)

In his letter regarding President Obama’s advocacy for sensible and constitutional gun limits, Hugh Zeiner demonstrates that he has no idea how an elected representational democracy works, and about the role of our elected representatives. It is the duty and the function of our elected officials to use the power and tools of their offices to lobby for political objectives that they believe in, and for which the voters elected them to their positions.

Furthermore, I am pleased that some of my taxpayer dollars were used to provide transportation for victims’ families. I would much rather see our taxpayer dollars used to promote reasonable gun and ammunition laws and background checks, all of which are supported by the majority of Americans, than to see our taxpayer dollars wasted on the emotional and financial costs that unfettered gun violence and carnage cost all of us.

Patrick Williams, Centennial

This letter was published in the April 16 edition.

We know from recent Supreme Court confirmation hearings that many conservatives have a problem with “empathy,” and it was certainly on display in the letter denouncing legislators who “parade around” the families of Newtown victims. Any reasonable person who has heard the eloquent, intelligent statements from these families would be hard-pressed to think of them as mindlessly manipulated.

This same letter-writer ridicules those who are “full of emotion,” as if we should remain indifferent to the 3,300 gun deaths in America since Newtown.

Robert Ellis, Aurora

This letter was published in the April 16 edition.

For information on how to send a letter to the editor, click here. Follow eLetters on Twitter to receive updates about new letters to the editor when they’re posted.

“It is the duty and the function of our elected officials to use the
power and tools of their offices to lobby for political objectives that
they believe in, and for which the voters elected them to their
positions.

Furthermore, I am pleased that some of my taxpayer dollars were used to provide transportation for victims’ families.”
===========
Then the Letter Writer has absolutely no problem with Sec of State Gessler’s use of “discretionary funds” to attend a function for “political objectives that (he) believe(d) in…….and “for which the (Republican) voters elected (him) to (his) position”?????

Note to Democrats and Gun Control Zealots: : Be very careful about what you defend……otherwise you give “the other side” permission to do something very similar.

Robtf777

“We know from recent Supreme Court confirmation hearings that many conservatives have a problem with “empathy,”
===============
Conservatives don’t have a problem with “empathy.” Conservatives have a problem with the idea of blaming Law-Abiding Gun Owners for the sins of the Armed Criminals……..as if the two groups are one and the same…….and the way to control the Armed Criminals is by “mass punishment” of the Law-Abiding.

Here’s a thought: Let’s have Congress MANDATE that any and every motorized vehicle sold in the US for use of our public highways be computer/electronically governed to have a top speed of 85 mph. THAT would do more to reduce the number of “high speed pursuits” than almost anything else anyone else can come up with.

And we all “know” and “understand” that Liberals tend to have little “empathy” for all those who currently have one of the current 100 million cases of STDs in the US……or for those who will acquire one of the 20 million in the next 12 months……..since the Liberal’s “abstinence” ideology when it comes to “guns” is contradictory to their “non-abstinence” ideology when it comes to sexual immorality outside of a husband-wife marriage.

Light shiner

Letter writer Patrick Williams claims that the “majority of Americans” support what the control freaks claim are “reasonable” gun control laws which In the real world will not do one thing to stop criminals and mentally disturbed people from continuing with their criminal activity. Notice that whenever a liberal wants to gain support from naiive people that they have a good idea they make exaggerated claims of advanced support. It’s the same lying tactic used when it was exaggerated wildly that 99 percent of the world’s scientists believe in man-made global warming. The ideas proposed by anti-gun politicians who are protected on a daily basis by guns are not reasonable at all because they are not well thought out, and are only emotional responses from people with very little or absolutely no knowledge on the objects they want to regulate. Obama didn’t fly the families of Newtown around out of empathy, but rather for his political exploitation of a terrible crime. He always needs his props as a backdrop to his facade.

http://www.facebook.com/stephen.blecher Stephen Blecher

Any time the President does or says anything, there are people who assert it’s an abuse of power. None other than the distinguished Republican,Teddy Roosevelt, said the Presidency is A Bully Pulpit.

primafacie

No doubt.

Just wondering, though: Suppose a Newtown parent wanted to lobby against gun-control laws. Just suppose. Or suppose someone from elsewhere in the country wanted to join in the lobbying effort in favor of gun control. Think any of them would have gotten a ride on Air Force One and an audience with appropriate members of congress?

Didn’t think so.

guest1

And your point is……….oh right…you don’t have one!

primafacie

Not a point. A question: Would a citizen other than one in the middle of a hot-button issue and who agrees with the president have gotten a seat on his ride?

peterpi

Because George Bush or Ronald Reagan never flew supporters of bill they were in favor of, it’s just those nasty over-reaching government-abusing liberals.

Light Shiner

Do you have any real examples of Reagan or Bush flying private citizens on AF One for being supporters of their bills? Or are you just making a straw argument through use of a false claim?

peterpi

And Republican presidents are different, how?
Presidents routinely use Air Force One as their personal private fleet.
Either restrict the rules for the use of Air Force One for ALL, or quit whining.

primafacie

Is that an answer to my question?

peterpi

Yes.

Light Shiner

Ok, this is weird and suspicious. I’ve clicked on the down arrow on two of your comments and the up arrow went to 3 on one and up to 2 on the other without registering anything on the down arrows. One time when I tapped on the down arrow a message popped saying that I had to register to vote. What kinda BS is going on with the Denver Post??!!

Soooo, don’t get too confident that you are getting a lot of approval for the things you wrote.

peterpi

Shiner,
I “think” anyone can vote thumbs up, but you have to register to one of the four services, or sign in, to vote thumbs down.
I have noticed that if I’m not signed in, it will tell me I have to sign in to vote thumbs down.
Plus, I have also noticed that if I vote thumbs up or down on someone, that sometimes more than one vote is registered. I called the DP Online folks about this, and they said that’s because someone else voted at the same time.
Hope this helps.

Light Shiner

Thank you for trying to clear the muddy water, but this it still looks a bit quirky.

First, why would it register an up vote as I click on the down arrow? And secondly, what an amazing coincidence that people are voting at the very precise millisecond that I am. I’m not one to fall into conspiracy thinking, but that just seems way to unlikely to me.

peterpi

The Letters forum has had other quirks. It wouldn’t surprise me iof the voting also has quirks.
I consider the voting a gimmick anyway. A way to draw in the rube–, I mean public, so that maybe they’ll look at the ads.

guest1

Who cares???? Really.

Light Shiner

I’ve seen a couple of videos on TV in which parents of the Sandy Hook school victims have testified against gun control laws and it does not appear that any of them got a ride with Mr. Empathy. He’s only “empathetic” toward those who are willing to be exploited for his transformation process.

Uncalled for. The point is that how we process information seems to drive whether we follow certain philosophies and in this case regarding politics. If people would appreciate that and stop calling one side or the other or the middle stupid then perhaps we could work together to solve problems rather than just perpetuate the quagmire we are in.

ThePyro

Here, here! Nicely done, kelcy.

cola born

Liberals don’t have facts – they have repeated talking points they parrot.

peterpi

I bet you learned that from Rush or Glenn or Ann.

straytopcat

Robert Ellis shows how the typical liberal uses fuzzy statistics to attempt to back up a point that the Party wants to make. 3,300 gun deaths since Sandy Hook. Hmmm. Well, that particular “statistic” came from the Huffington Post, a well known bastion of unbiased thinking. Also, if closely read, that particular number represents murders, self defense, accidents, police involved shootings etc. Basically any death resulting from a firearm. So just what portion of that number were from firearms magazines holding over 15 rounds? How many would be prevented by background checks? Those could be used to form the basis of a rational (I know, a reach for liberals) argument. However, instead, the radical left only quotes fuzzy, unscientifically gathered information (it isn’t data by any means) to bolster a point.

No one is indifferent to the Sandy Hook tragedy, and to imply that just because a person disagrees with another’s point, doesn’t automatically make them indifferent. What really amazes me are the liberals who constantly belittle, denigrate, and generally villanize anyone who disagrees with them, yet who claim to be compassionate. Instead, they are themselves very mean spirited persons.

Guidelines: The Post welcomes letters up to 150 words on topics of general interest. Letters must include full name, home address, day and evening phone numbers, and may be edited for length, grammar and accuracy.

To reach the Denver Post editorial page by phone: 303-954-1331

Recent Comments

peterpi: I think I have this correct: Voters in Jefferson County elected school board members that the superintendent...

peterpi: Sounds good to me. For future employees. I believe police and fire dept. brass have also been known to get...